A Current of Change
by amomof5
Summary: Edward had numerous emotions to sort through during Bella's transition. This is a one-shot from Edward's POV and his thoughts during this period of time.


**_This story takes place during the time of Bella's transition, through Edward's POV. P 356-386 of BD. There are some lines that are taken directly from BD as they fit into the context of my story._**

**_More thanks to shabbyapple for beta-ing my story._**

**_Thank you to Stephenie Meyer for creating these great characters! She is all kinds of awesome!_**

* * *

"She's not dead," I growled. "She's going to be fine."

Jacob turned around and slowly walked out the door.

"Bella, you will **not** leave me. You will stay here for me, for our daughter. Renesmee needs you...I need you! Damn it Bella!"

I continued compressions on her heart, willing the venom to work its way through her system. She was so still, so white. Bella had lost an incredible amount of blood. I thought back to Emmett. His transformation had gone smoothly. That is, if you can call three days of excruciating, burning pain "smoothly". I couldn't think about that now. If Emmett made it, so could Bella. I **knew **she was strong enough, but there was no way around the inevitable pain.

_How long had I been doing this? Shouldn't her heart have started again by now? Where was Carlisle?_ These were all rhetorical questions, with answers that would not make any difference in the long run. I thought about Bella, that first day I had seen her at Forks High School. Her beautiful face, her lovely eyes in a shade of brown that made my glacial skin feel almost warm, and her scent. _Her scent!_ I breathed deeply, trying to recapture the essence of her scent. How happy I would be once that constant burning in my throat disappeared. It reminded me of a physician's office when they ask you, on a scale of 1 to 10, how bad your pain is. When I first caught Bella's scent, the burn was a ten or greater. But, now it was down to a two or three. Consistently there, but I had learned to live with it.

Then, ever so faintly, I heard a heart beat. Then another, much louder than the first. Bella's heart beats continued to get louder and louder, faster and faster until her heart was racing. _It has begun_, I thought. _Her change has begun._

I stopped compressions on Bella's heart and sagged against her body on the table. Physically, I could have continued all night. But I was mentally and emotionally exhausted. When I left Bella a year ago, it was the darkest time in my life. However, during her pregnancy, I felt myself being drug down to depths of despair I thought I would never have to experience again. It was almost worse, watching her waste away before my eyes. Struggling against that...baby inside her. Renesmee.

As I quieted my thoughts, I heard two distinct heartbeats down stairs. I knew one was Renesmee's. Who did the other belong to? Hadn't Jacob left? Although I knew he didn't want to see Bella like this, I could not think of anyone else who would be here. I was torn between staying here with Bella and going downstairs to check on _my daughter_. My conscience was still filled with too much intrepidation to fully comprehend the magnitude of those words - _my daughter_. What kind of child would she be? Half-human...half-vampire - what did that mean in the practical sense? Now that I knew Bella's transformation had started, I hoped I could take a few moments to think about her.

"Why are you still here, dog?" I heard Rosalie ask.

_Renesmee_.

I heard Jacob's thoughts loud and clear. A low hiss escaped from between my teeth. He had better not touch my daughter.

"Get out, mongrel. We don't need you here anymore_._" Rosalie sounded on the verge of losing it.

Outside, I could hear Carlisle and the others hurrying home. They would be here soon, and someone else needed to deal with Jacob right now. I wanted to be here for Bella when she regained consciousness. I knew she must be in pain.

I heard the front door burst open.

"Alice said that Bella's OK?" Carlisle said.

"I'm not sure. Edward hasn't been downstairs yet. I've been taking care of the baby, which would be much easier if someone would put the dog out," Rosalie answered.

I heard Carlisle turn and head for the stairs.

_Edward,_ Carlisle thought.

Silently, he came through the door and was immediately by Bella's side.

"What happened? I only caught bits and pieces before the phone went dead," Carlisle said.

I filled Carlisle in on the details. He grimaced when I told him about Jacob having to tackle Rosalie.

"Renesmee? I thought Bella was convinced it was a boy," Carlisle said.

"Yes, well, I guess she was wrong about that," I murmured.

Although the birth hadn't gone smoothly, Carlisle was grateful that Renesmee had survived and Bella pulled through.

"Edward, you need to go down and see your daughter," Carlisle told me.

"I can't leave Bella," I said.

_She's unconscious, Edward. You can be upstairs in a second if necessary._

Knowing he was right didn't make it any easier to be away from Bella. I leaned down and kissed her forehead.

"I love you, Bella Cullen."

I stroked her on the cheek before leaving to go see my daughter.

Because of Bella's condition, I hadn't been paying too much attention to the conversation downstairs. I was assuming Rosalie and Alice could handle whatever was going on. I had never been so wrong. The tension in the air was palpable.

"YOU.DID.NOT." Rosalie was clutching Renesmee to her chest over in the corner.

"I'm sorry," Jacob said. "It's not something we can control."

_Renesmee. _

I was concerned that Jacob would want to hurt Renesmee, considering what he thought had happened to Bella. But Jacob was looking at her with adoration, not contempt. I looked from Jacob to Rosalie. Rosalie was still huddled in the corner, as if she was shielding her from something.

"What happened?" I demanded.

"That **dog**," Rosalie spat the word with utter disgust, "thinks he **imprinted** on Renesmee!"

I whirled around towards Jacob.

"YOU WHAT?" I lunged for Jacob's throat, unable to control my anger. Emmett and Jasper appeared from out of nowhere, it seemed, and intercepted my attack on Jacob. "I haven't had more than a few seconds to hold my own daughter and you IMPRINTED!" I snarled, through clenched teeth.

Jasper was doing his best to calm everyone down, but I was fighting it.

"Edward, I'm sorry!" Jacob yelled. "I didn't plan for this to happen!"

_Edward, calm down. _Emmett was pleading with me, and then Esme and Alice were both at my side. I heard Carlisle's pleading voice, _Edward!_

I shrugged away from everyone and headed straight for Rosalie and my daughter.

"Give her to me," I demanded.

Rosalie shook her head no.

"Rosalie Hale. That is **my** daughter you are holding. Give her to me now!" I roared. Rosalie cowered under my glare. Emmett was instantly at her side, glaring right back at me.

"Edward, relax." Emmett said. "Rose, hand Renesmee over to Edward, please. He's right; it's his daughter," Emmett soothed.

_My baby_, Rosalie thought.

"No Rosalie, it's not," I said, taking Renesmee from her arms.

Emmett grabbed Rosalie in a huge hug, while she cried her tearless sobs. Unfortunately, my sympathy for others had been used up by this point. I would leave it to Emmett to console her.

I heard Jacob begin walking towards me.

"Stop, mongrel. You will not come near my daughter. Bella almost died bringing her into this world and I have only held her once. Get away from us, **now**. We will discuss this later," I told him.

I stalked off to the dining room, trusting Jasper, Alice and Esme to keep Jacob away from me. I sat down in a chair to meet my daughter. It took several minutes to undo the tight receiving blanket Rose had wrapped around her. In doing so, I discovered her beautiful brown eyes - Bella's eyes! They were mesmerizing. I looked at her little fingers and little toes, counting 10 of each. Her bronze colored curls were beautiful, forming a fringe around her tiny little face. A lump formed in my throat, as I realized that Bella and I had created this beauty. Renesmee smiled up at me, with that full set of white teeth. I had seen her teeth right after she was born, but it still surprised me. Her teeth would be something I would have to discuss with Carlisle.

Her heart was beating loudly, faster than a human's heart. I leaned my head down to her chest and breathed her scent in deeply. She smelled like...cookies. Vanilla and cinnamon. She reached up and grabbed a handful of my hair. Although she was too young to form articulate thoughts, I could feel the love emanating from her. I reached up and untangled her tiny hand from my hair. Her brown eyes looked into mine and she reached up to touch my face this time. I gasped, startled by the images flashing through my mind.

"What was that?" I said.

My entire family ran into the room, concerned by the tone of my voice.

"What happened?" Esme asked.

"What did you do?" Rosalie hissed.

I held my hand out for them to stop asking questions. Renesmee held her hand up to my face again and this time I held still, prepared for her thoughts this time. The images I saw were of Bella. She was covered in blood, crying out in pain.

"Bella," I whispered. Renesmee's eyes brightened. Then I saw a flash of myself, and images of Rosalie. They must be Renesmee's memories.

"You want your momma, don't you, sweetheart?" I said my heart swelling with emotion for my Bella.

Renesmee snuggled into me and sighed contentedly.

"What's going on Edward?" Alice asked, impatiently.

"It would seem Renesmee was born with a gift of her own. Alice, come here. Let Renesmee touch your cheek," I told her.

Alice walked over to me and brought her face down to Renesmee's.

"Hello sweet girl," Alice cooed. Renesmee brought her cherubic hand up to Alice's face. Her face was intent as she watched Renesmee's images inside her mind.

"Wow," was all Alice could say.

Esme, Emmett, Rosalie and Jasper moved towards Renesmee, wanting to know what her gift was.

"_Grandma_ Esme, your turn," I said, smirking at my mother. Esme came over and gathered Renesmee in her arms.

_She is so beautiful, Edward. You have given us a wonderful gift._ Esme was glowing with adoration over her granddaughter. Renesmee gently touched Esme's face. Esme looked at me, stunned by what she had just seen.

Jasper, Emmett and Rosalie all got their turns to experience Renesmee's unique gift.

_She remembers me!_ Rosalie thought, as she cuddled with her.

"Yes, she does, Rose." I turned to her. "Thank you...for helping Bella to save my daughter's life," I told her as sincerely as I could.

She nodded her head in acceptance of my gratitude. Under the circumstances, I would take this as a truce between us.

We all moved back into the living room, while I took Renesmee back from Rosalie. I heard Jacob clear his throat.

"Edward," Jacob said. "Can I see her, please?" he pleaded.

Unbelievable. I had seen the imprinting phenomenon through the wolves' eyes before, but it was completely different, seeing my daughter through Jacob's eyes. Slowly, but deliberately, I brought Renesmee over to Jacob.

"May I hold her?" Jacob asked.

I held my finger up to him to be quiet for a minute. Leaning over my daughter, I kissed her on the forehead and said, "I love you, sweetheart." Then I handed her to Jacob.

In that instant, I saw only love and adoration in Jacob's mind. No thoughts of romantic love, only thoughts of a brother...an uncle. Jacob only wanted what was best for Renesmee. He wanted her to be healthy and happy, to live a life filled with people she loved. And Jacob only wanted to be a part of that life. How could I allow that? I knew that he had been in love with Bella...that there had been a definite, almost tangible, need between them. Was that gone, now that Jacob had imprinted on Renesmee?

_Renesmee. Nessie. You are so gorgeous! You are beautiful, just like your mother. She was, is...beautiful too. I can see a little bit of your dad in you. Sorry 'bout that, but we'll deal, I guess. _Jacob looked up at me and I held back the snarl.

No. NO! I could not deal with this now. Not when Bella was upstairs in pain, in agony.

Jacob was trying to explain to something to me. "As soon as Nessie looked at me," Jacob began, but I interrupted him.

"Nessie?" I queried.

"Yeah, Nessie. No offense, Esme, but Renesmee is a bit of a mouthful," Jacob said. "Anyway, when Nessie looked at me, with those big brown eyes, which look just like Bella's...well, that was it. I imprinted." Jacob shrugged his shoulders and put Renesmee up to his cheek.

"Ouch! She bit me!" Jacob yelled.

I was at his side in an instant, taking Renesmee from him and rocking her gently.

"It's OK sweetheart. You didn't do anything wrong," I reassured her.

"She bit me!" Jacob yelled again.

Carlisle came down the stairs to tend to Jacob.

"Bella?" I asked.

"She still seems to be unconscious," Carlisle said. "She's hardly moved since it began."

I handed the baby off to Esme, while I bounded up the stairs to watch over Bella. My mind could not deal with Bella's current state **and** Jacob thinking he had imprinted on my daughter. I knew Rosalie would handle that part expertly.

XXXXXXXXXX

Sometime during the night, Carlisle came upstairs to sit with me.

"Still no change?" Carlisle asked.

"None."

Carlisle bent down to smell Bella's arm.

"There's no scent of the morphine left."

"I know."

"Bella? Can you hear me?" Carlisle asked her.

"Bella? Bella, love? Can you open your eyes? Can you squeeze my hand?" I pleaded with her.

I debated with Carlisle if I had been too late...too late to save Bella. He reassured me that her heartbeat was strong, stronger than even Emmett's had been. However, I was still worried...still concerned. Carlisle did his best to calm my fears. But she should have moved, cried out in pain, opened her eyes. Something!

"She must be in agony."

"We don't know that. She had so much morphine in her system. We don't know the effect that will have on her experience," Carlisle said.

"How is Renesmee?" I asked him.

"She's fine. She's got 3 additional mothers downstairs...and 2 more fathers," he chuckled. "And apparently, she is not venomous."

"Really?" I raised an eyebrow at him.

"Jacob said that vampire venom is very harmful if it gets into a werewolf's system. However, he has had not adverse affects from Nessie's bites." Carlisle explained.

"Bites?" I said, with surprise.

_She's bitten him quite a bit._ Carlisle smiled at me.

"Good for her," I agreed.

_She's asking for you. She keeps touching our faces, flashing images of you and Bella...and Jacob._

"No, I'm staying right here," I whispered. "They'll sort it out."

I quietly discussed the issue with Carlisle. Jacob's imprinting had thrown us all a curve ball. We thought he would no longer be such a huge part of our lives. Could we have been more wrong?

XXXXXXXXXX

Alice came up the stairs the next day. In one hand was an ice-blue silk dress. In the other hand was a pair of silver, satin stiletto heels.

"What do you think you are going to do with those?" I asked, incredulously.

Alice rolled her eyes at me. "Dress Bella, of course," she answered. "I want her to wake up and feel beautiful. I want Bella to see herself as we all see her...beautiful and stunning."

"I know that, Alice, but do you really think _this_," I said, pointing to the dress and shoes, "is really necessary?"

"Absolutely. You know how Bella is about me dressing her. As a newborn vampire, I doubt that she'll really give me much of a chance to do so. I decided to take this one opportunity and make the best of it," she told me, heading towards Bella.

"No!" I whispered as loudly as possible. "You'll hurt her!"

"Edward, I promise I will be as gentle as I can. She's hardly moved this whole time. I'll be careful," Alice said, trying to reassure me.

I wasn't sure if what she said was true. Carlisle and I were still unsure why she hadn't moved since her change had begun. I was holding onto the thought that we had done everything right and Bella was only feeling a minimum amount of pain.

After Bella's change had begun, Carlisle and I cleaned her up. We didn't want any blood left on her or in the room when she woke up. If she was going to experience the internal burning, I didn't want anything warm on her skin. We opted for a light cotton sheet that would keep her covered, but wouldn't be too heavy on her skin. Alice lifted the sheet off and began carefully dressing Bella.

As Alice finished, I was amazed at the difference. I already thought Bella was intoxicatingly beautiful, but this was more than I had ever imagined.

"She does look wonderful, doesn't she?" Alice mused.

"Yes," I whispered, mesmerized by Bella.

"I told you, Edward," she said. "Bella needs to see this for herself."

"Since you did such a good job on our wedding day..." I began.

"Not that again! I've apologized for that over and over. Enough, already," she grumbled, leaving the room in a huff.

I chuckled to myself and sat down, enjoying the view of my beautiful bride.

XXXXXXXXXXX

Carlisle came in the room later that afternoon.

_Nessie..._

"She's asking for us again?"

Carlisle nodded his head.

"I can sit with her, Edward. You need to go back downstairs and see your daughter," he said.

"I know," I sighed.

"It's only been just over 24 hours. She may have 2 more days before the transition is complete," Carlisle told me.

"I know," I said again.

_Nessie needs you._

I nodded my head in silent agreement. How did fathers do it? How do you choose between your wife, your true love...and your daughter? I got up and walked quietly down the stairs. There was Renesmee in the middle of...well, everyone. She was surrounded by the rest of my family, and Jacob.

"Edward!" Esme said.

"How is Renesmee?" I asked.

"Nessie's great!" Jacob answered.

Rosalie and I both growled at him at the same time.

"Sorry," Jacob apologized.

"Edward, could you put the dog out, please?" Rosalie asked, sweetly.

"Hey, we agreed I could stay if I _behaved_," he said, shaking his head in disbelief.

I walked over to Rosalie and took my daughter.

"It's father/daughter bonding time," I said to both of them.

I sat down on the couch with Renesmee and began talking to her. When I looked at her face, I was stunned.

"She's gotten huge!" I said.

"Nessie is growing at an accelerated rate," Rosalie said.

"Bella won't even recognize her when she wakes up," I said, brokenhearted for her. I was amazed at how much she had changed. Renesmee no longer looked like a newborn baby. She looked like a month old infant!

It was going to be difficult to explain this to Bella. She was already going to have so much to deal with. In addition to being a newborn vampire, she also had a newborn baby daughter, who no longer looked anything like a newborn. Add to that, her werewolf best friend had imprinted on her daughter...it was going to be tough.

I continued holding Renesmee, hissing at Jacob whenever he wandered too near me. I sang to her, played with her, and talked to her. She was so beautiful to look at, but eventually, I felt my heart being tugged back upstairs. Bella needed me and Renesmee had fallen asleep. I kissed Renesmee good-night and handed her off to Alice.

I sat with Bella through the rest of her transition. I could not bear to leave her again. The rest of my family came and went, trying to convince me to come downstairs. However, I would not leave until Bella was awake. Renesmee was in good hands downstairs, between all of her aunts and uncles...and Jacob.

Bella's heart made erratic changes, declaring that her transition was almost completed. I called for Carlisle to come in and Alice accompanied him. Carlisle agreed that Bella's change was nearly over. My mind rejoiced at this fact, knowing that Bella would soon be reunited with me. I had waited so long for this moment and now it had finally arrived.

Alice asked if Rose should bring Renesmee up, but I wanted her kept away. None of us knew what Bella's reactions would be and I didn't want her near our daughter...yet. There would be plenty of time for that...plenty of time to explain the numerous things that had happened in the last two days.

The rest of my family came in the room, except for Rosalie and Renesmee. Bella's heartbeat was strong and fast. It continued beating faster and faster until it sounded as though it would explode out of her chest. I wanted to reach out to her...cradle her in my arms, do something to soothe her anxiety. It was awful to watch her body struggle like this. Her back arched and I grimaced in pain for her. I looked at her expressionless face, wondering what was going on inside her mind. Then, with a deafening echo, her heart gave one last final beat. It stuttered twice, then once again, and nothing more. We all held our breath as Bella, finally, opened her eyes.

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**_I hope you enjoyed the story! Please review if you did!! I really had a lot of fun writing this._**


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